RELATIVES of a tramp who lived on a Black Country ring road for 35 years before his death are being urged to come forward to claim thousands of pounds in savings.

The Polish immigrant was locally known as Fred, but his real name was Josef Stawinoga.

He lived in a tent on a traffic island in St John's, Wolverhampton, after turning his back on society.

He was a well-known figure in the city and is thought to have left thousands of pounds in untouched pension payments when he died of pneumonia last October, aged 87.

Claimants will have to prove their relationship with official documents.

Because Mr Stawinoga did not leave a will, the treasury solicitor - who deals with property without an apparent owner or claimant - is attempting to trace any relatives that may be entitled to the money.

The city council tolerated Mr Stawinoga's eccentric lifestyle since he had a phobia of confined spaces.

Officials looked after him via its social services department and pension money due to him was kept in trust for decades.

A few years ago council officials, police and the Territorial Army moved in to replace his tent over fears it, and the rubbish he had collected, were becoming a health hazard.

The site of his tent has now been completely cleared since the area had become infested with rats.

But he did keep the plot as tidy as possible and was regularly seen sweeping leaves into neat piles.

There were rumours on his death that he had been a member of Hitler's SS in Poland and could not face his past and so turned his back on society.

Others claimed he decided to live the life of a hermit after being spurned by the love of his life.

In the months before his death he even became an internet hit on social network site Facebook with a growing fanbase of 'friends'.

But, in reality, Mr Stawinoga shunned company and was notoriously grumpy to strangers.